The Warriors Co-op Aussie Hands-on

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These paint-faced thugs get cut down to size.

By Patrick Kolan

When Rockstar announced that they had acquired the rights to develop a game based around 70s cult-cinema classic, The Warriors, gamers and fans of the film were filled with questions. How would it work? Could it be done? Heck - would it even be worthwhile? Eventually the answers rang clearly when a low-key, slightly tarnished masterpiece was released on the PS2 back in 2005. Now, a year-and-a-half later, a PSP version has emerged, and at first glance, it's impressively and near-precisely akin to the bigger-screened version. However, one aspect that has been announced but discussed very little is the wireless co-op mode.

For those not versed in the ways and means of The Warriors, essentially the film is a tale of warring street gangs in campy themed costumes going toe-to-toe for control of the city's underworld. Caught in the middle of a murder they didn't commit, members of The Warriors gang go on a roaring rampage of revenge, Tarantino-style - only, minus the Tarantino.

We played through a number of the single-player storyline missions, as well as some multiplayer fisticuff battles. Initially, you start off in The Warriors' gangland warehouse, as in the PS2 version. This acts as an hub for selecting the next chapter in the plot, or for accessing a host of extra modes and unlockables. One of the first significant points of difference is that the 'secret' unlockable Double Dragon knock-off, mimicked exactly, is immediately accessible from the outset. Clearly, this decision has been made to emphasize the importance of cooperative experiences on Sony's handheld.

The co-op tagging challenge is immensely satisfying.

Every mission in the game now works flawlessly in co-op mode. Even the initial New Blood opening mission allows two players to grapple against bums and, occasionally, each other. Certainly a two-player mode was included in the original release; however, a separate, personal screen is infinitely superior to split screen gaming and breathes new life into the game.

It it's called 'co-op' for nothing, after all, and there are many opportunities for cooperation throughout the levels. Even down to the ways in which the characters grapple, two players can creatively bash the snot out of any foolish mug willing to stand his ground.

The controls from the PS2 version have been adapted and simplified to suit the PSP's restructured control scheme. The face buttons still grapple, throw, punch and kick, while the D-pad's directional buttons block and heal. L and R adjust the camera angle and target lock-on respectively.

While on the surface The Warriors is a beat-em-up par excellence, the game also diverges into moments and sequences of old-school platforming skills, racing and even puzzle-solving. The there's the included graffiti tagging, car stereo theft and other black-market microgames to tackle along the way - all of which can be attempted with two players.

In a latter mission entitled Writer's Block, the gang is being pursued by the Hi-Hats - crazy, top-hat donning gang-bangers. While being chased across town, you and your multiplayer partner are simultaneously racing over rooftops, jumping ledges, scaling chain link fences and trying desperately not to fall off. The cooperative nature of the level means that even if one player plummets, the other has the chance to succeed by reaching relative safety at the end of the stage.

The Double Dragon remake is exact down to the smallest nuances ...and glitches.

Other levels see you tackling the Baseball Furies' fictitious leader, a double-bat carrying behemoth. A bit of teamwork can take the heat off of one player long enough for the other to dive in and pummel the ringleader's cranium. Still others challenge you to a tag-off; spray paint as many key areas in the area as possible, while competing against a rival gang. This requires a bit of strategy, since the location cycles from one spot to the next, and we found the most effective approach was if one player marked one half of the area, while the other took on the other half.

We're not sure how they've managed to crank out the textural detail that they have, but somehow The Warriors looks almost as good as the PS2 version. Facial textures are noticeably lower in resolution, granted, but the environmental detail is astounding. At times, it's easy to forget that this is a portable version. When you factor in that all of the content of the PS2 version is included, soundtracks, voices and otherwise, it makes for an impressive package.

All of this graphical showboating comes at a price, as there is definitely noticeable slowdown during instances where there are more than half a dozen characters on-screen. It never gets so severe that it affects the gameplay, but we'd love to see this get ironed out in time for release.

While we still question whether or not The Warriors really needed to be ported across to the PSP, there is no question over Rockstar's commitment to the handheld, or their ability to excel at just about every title they choose to bring across. Due for release in just under a month, we're confident that, alongside Liberty City and Vice City Stories, you may have a third, if admittedly rehashed, reason to keep your portable out of the hock shop.